What To Look For
Whether it is a family weekend camp-out, a backpacking journey or a summer trek, the right tent will make your excursion pleasantly memorable, and the wrong tent will make an otherwise pleasant trip memorably miserable. Finding the right tent means finding the tent that simply keeps you dry and protected from the elements, with enough room to comfortably fit people and equipment. The best brand for you will depend on what kind of tent you need.
Common Pitfalls
Tent buyers commonly make the same three mistakes. The most common mistake is buying a tent that is not big enough. Remember you will put gear in there with you. A second error is purchasing a tent based on appearance. Research the right tent for your activity. The last common pitfall is failing to test the ease of assembly and disassembly. Try before you buy, and practice setup and take-down before you head to the country.
Where To Buy
Large outdoor retail stores carry a variety of tents, as do retailers that offer mail order like Cabela's, L.L. Bean, and REI. Don't overlook small, local outdoor outlets, even if they are slightly more expensive. They often carry premier brands that the box stores will not. Research your tent first, determine the brand and model you want, then ask or email to ensure they have what you need. If the big outlets do not carry the tent you want, go to the manufacturer's website.
Cost
Consumer Research published a top-six list of tents, one for each of six categories: family dome tent, cabin tent, budget family tent, backpacking tent, two-person lightweight, and budget A-frame. Its picks--with suggested retail prices--were respectively, the Big Agnes Big House 6 at $360, The North Face Trailhead at $500, the Eureka Copper Canyon 1610 at $300, the Nemo Losi P3 at $400, the Big Sky Evolution 2P at $300 and the Eureka Timberline 2 at $110.
Comparison Shopping
Unless you are preparing for very harsh winter conditions, a three-season tent will do. If you are headed into below-zero climes, buy a four-season tent. Look for a sewn-in floor and a rain fly. You do not want your tent to let you get wet from below or above. Tents without rain flies gather condensation, and you will experience "indoor rain." Determine if you can easily and safely set the tent up in the rain or the dark. Look at tent reviews online.
Accessories
If you are camping regularly, purchase extra pins or stakes, and a good mallet. Other accessories for tents include repair kits, spray-on rain repellent, tent lights, fans, replacement cords, mosquito nets, pop-out organizer shelves of hanging "gear lofts," and "tent footprints," which are ground tarps under the tent itself.
Insider Tips
Plan. A question to consider is how you will carry the tent. If you are carrying it any distance, weight matters, a lot. Test your space in advance with people and gear in a "simulated tent" marked out on the ground. Consider an SIG, or sewn-in-groundsheet, which experts say will vastly increase insulation from the ground, and separate you from crawly things.
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